Transaction cards, such as credit and debit cards, have become a primary means for individuals to complete transactions involving data exchange. Traditional transaction cards are formed of plastic material as a single piece. For example, a typical credit card may be manufactured out of PVC plastic using an injection molding process. The plastic card may then be modified to add functional and/or visual features. For example, a magnetic strip may be affixed to one side, the card may be stamped with the card number and customer name, and color or a design may be added for appearance. Some plastic cards may also be formed of several layers of plastic using a lamination process.
Some transaction cards may also include advanced data storage components attached to or embedded within the card. For example, some transaction cards may include microchips (e.g., EMV chips) that more securely and efficiently manage card and customer information and/or near field communication (NFC) components that can wirelessly communicate with outside devices (e.g., a point of sale device, mobile device, etc.). While these types of technology provide several advantages to customers, the conventional, one-piece transaction card and associated methods of construction may not be ideal and could likely benefit significantly from improvements.
In addition, as transaction cards increase in prevalence, expectations for transaction card quality have increased. Moreover, current trends and advances in technology and social media have created demand for unique and customizable products. Many consumers and influencers choose products and services that match their personal brand or that allow the flexibility to customize a product to fit their personal brand. However, traditional custom transaction cards may allow a user to upload an image or select from a menu of stock images to be printed on a card, but do not give the customer full, creative flexibility to easily design a transaction card. Also, transaction cards have increasingly been made to meet higher standards regarding materials, durability, security, and appearance, but have limited ability for user customization.
The present disclosure is directed to improvements in transaction cards and methods of manufacture thereof.